The present invention relates to an electrical connector and, more particularly, to an to an electrical connector having a shielding shell for blocking external electromagnetic waves.
Various types of electrical connectors, such as cellular telephones, are provided with a metallic shielding shell to protect signal paths of the connector from external electromagnetic waves. The connector has an insulating housing having electrical contacts disposed therein. The shielding shell covers an outer periphery of the insulating housing and is generally formed by punching and bending a metal plate into a cubical or cylindrical shape. The shielding shell has a seam at a position where ends of the metal plate abut each other. Because the ends of the metal plate simply abut each other, if an excessive external prying force is applied to the shielding shell when the connector is mated to a mating connector, the ends of the metal plate may spread causing the shielding shell to deform.
In an effort to alleviate this problem, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication 2001-126819 teaches a shielding shell formed from a metal plate wherein ends of the metal plate overlap and are fastened to each other. One end of the metal plate is folded upward to form an insertion supported portion. Both sides of an other end of the metal plate are cut-out and folded to form fastening portions. The ends are overlapped and fastened by the fastening portions to fix the ends of the metal plate to each other. This shielding shell provides resistance against deformation by prying forces applied in a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction, that is, in the direction perpendicular to a plane of the overlapped ends of the metal plate. However, the shielding shell may still be deformed when a prying force is applied in a direction parallel to the plane of the ends of the overlapped metal plate, because the ends of the shielding shell can still shift along that plane.
It is therefore desirable to develop a shielding shell that will resist deformation due to prying forces and external forces in any direction.
The invention relates to a shielding shell for an electrical connector. The shielding shell includes a first shell and a second shell. The first shell has a first shell end. The first shell end having a first locking member. The second shell having a second shell end. The second shell end having a second locking member corresponding to the first locking member. When the second locking member engages the first locking member the first shell end overlaps with the second shell end to prevent movement of the second shell end in a vertical and horizontal direction in relation to the first shell end.